Thru Rayne's Eyes
by Beautiful Secrets
Summary: Rayne went thru school with Zeke, and Casey, and the others. And she's got a soft-spot in her heart for Zeke. But he doesn't know, and the aliens are coming...what does she do?
1. Chapter I

Chapter 1  
  
Rayne lifted her eyes from the book she held in her hands, and saw him, sitting at the table across the aisle, drawing random things on his paper as the teacher spoke. She knew he was listening to him: he was always was. Rayne was so concentrated on what he was doing, she didn't even hear the teacher.  
  
"Alright.let's see, who haven't we heard from in a while.Rayne. Rayne?" he asked. She shook her head and looked up.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What's the answer?"  
  
"Uh, Mr. Furlong, I don't even know the question." He sighed, and looked down.  
  
"You have to start paying more attention to this class, Rayne. Zeke? Do you know the answer?"  
  
"The geoduck." Mr. Furlong nodded. Rayne, attempting to get rid of the redness in her cheeks, dropped her head back into her book, but slowly lifted her eyes to find Zeke looking at her. She quickly looked away, and set her book down, picking up her pen, and taking notes on the class. This was already her second time going through Senior year: she didn't want to have to do it again.  
  
The bell rang, and she gathered her books, and hurried to her locker. Zeke slid up beside her, and twisted the combo into the lock, yanking open his locker. She had forgotten his locker was next to hers. Rayne shoved her books into the tiny space, and thought for a second. It was the end of the day, and she was ready to go home. Zeke closed his locker, and looked at her. She jammed a couple books, her binder, a folder, a notebook, and her pens into her shoulder bag, pulled it out, and closed the door.  
  
"Hi, Zeke."  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"I'm fine." She started down the hallway, just missing the rush of students speeding from the building. No sooner had she gotten to the sidewalk in front of the building did she realize her aunt wouldn't be picking her up. Turning around, she saw Zeke heading for his car. She took off running to the parking lot to catch up with him.  
  
He had just closed his door, and rolled down the passenger window when she stepped up. Placing her hands on the door, she leaned in to see him.  
  
"Zeke?" The black-haired boy lifted his eyes from the cigarette in his hand.  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"Could you do me a favor?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow.  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Gimme a lift home? My ride ain't showing up anymore, and I forgot my car this morning." He hesitated, then nodded. She pulled open the door and slid in beside him.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"No prob, but you'll need ta tell me where to go," he said.  
  
"Well, it's kinda hard to miss. It's the only black house on the block."  
  
"Street?"  
  
"Willow Road."  
  
"You live in the black house?"  
  
"Yea, but I'm repainting it this summer. I am getting so tired of the black. I'll walk home from work some nights, and I'll be really tired, and start freaking out because my house is gone." Zeke laughed. She smiled a half smile, and glanced out the window.  
  
He pulled up in her driveway, and stopped the car. She pushed open the door, pulled out her bag, and shut it.  
  
"Thanks for the ride, Zeke."  
  
"Your welcome. Well.I'll see you tomorrow." She waved, and headed up into her house.  
  
She sat down on her couch, about to do her homework, when a knock sounded at the door. Sighing, she dropped her pencil into the middle of the book, and stood up. Rayne pulled open the door, and looked out at Zeke.  
  
"Zeke?" she asked.  
  
"Hey, Rayne."  
  
"What're you doin' here?" He held up his hand, and she looked at the broken Celtic cross necklace in his hand.  
  
"You left this in my car," she said. She smiled, and took it from him.  
  
"I didn't even notice it was gone, Zeke, thank you.it's all I have left." she muttered.  
  
"Of what?" She looked up.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You said it's all you have left. Have left of what?" She shook her head.  
  
"Nevermind, it's not important. Thank you, Zeke. I'll see you tomorrow," she said. He nodded, and jogged off her porch. She closed the door and sighed, slipped the necklace on, and went back to her homework.  
  
She pulled into the parking lot, turned off her car, and got out, taking her keys with her. Rayne walked around, and pulled open the trunk, hauling out her bag, and a pack of cigarettes. Looking around, she made sure no one was watching, and dropped them into her bag. She closed the trunk, and started into the building. Rayne stopped. Turning around, she saw Zeke pulling up in his black car with two red stripes, and squeal into the parking lot. He got out, and walked to the back of his car, pulling open the trunk. She turned and jogged back to him. Zeke was pulling two tapes from his trunk when she stopped running. He looked at her.  
  
"Hey, Rayne." The two guys standing there took the tapes, paid him, and left.  
  
"You want something?" he asked, waving his hand over his trunk. She glanced down, and pointed to a couple pens.  
  
"What's up with those?"  
  
"Scat." She nodded.  
  
"How much?"  
  
"Five a piece." She dug around in her pocket, and took out a ten.  
  
"Two." He handed her two, she handed him $10, and patted his shoulder.  
  
"Nice doin' business with ya." Turning, she slipped them into her pocket and went into the building. He watched her for a minute, and then went back to digging around in his trunk.  
  
She kicked her feet up on the table in the science room, and attempted to finish her drawing of Zeke, one that she was entering in the art contest. He knew she was drawing it: she asked him to be her subject. Zeke sat at his table, thinking, posed for the drawing. Suddenly, a brown- haired boy walked in. She lifted her eyes. He walked up to the front, talking to Mr. Furlong, and Rayne slid her pencil into the notebook rings and set it on the table. Zeke leaned back, and listened to the conversation. Mr. Furlong took a small brown object, and placed it under the microscope.  
  
"It's a pelagic organism," he said.  
  
"What's a pelagic organism?" one student, Gabe, asked.  
  
"A sea-dwelling organism," Zeke answered.  
  
"Right.See, I don't recognize this surface tissue at all. Casey, I think you may have discovered a new species."  
  
"Yea, right," Gabe said. Furlong looked up.  
  
"Hey, it could happen. New species are discovered everyday."  
  
"Could it be natho-simalia?" Zeke asked, looking at it.  
  
"Nah.."  
  
"Well, you just know everything, don't you?" a blonde girl asked. Rayne, who stood beside Stokely, rolled her eyes.  
  
"Gotta call the university.have them check it out. Maybe get in on some of that grant money." Furlong looked up. "Our secret." He placed it on a dissection tray.  
  
"Hey, Stokely, maybe it's one of your friends," Gabe stated.  
  
"Oh, blow off, bozo," she said, hitting him. He knocked a cup of water onto the creature. It moved.  
  
"Hey, did you see that?" Casey asked.  
  
"What is it doing?"  
  
"Ka-ching," Furlong said, picked up the tray, and took it to the back of the room.  
  
"So you think its amphibian?" Zeke asked.  
  
"Well, water resuscitated it."  
  
"Yea, but couldn't this kill it? I mean, you don't wanna drown it," Gabe said.  
  
"One way to find out." After he dropped it in the aquarium, it wiggled around the water, and suddenly, a bunch of red ropes shot out and attached to the walls. Everyone gasped and moved back.  
  
"It's alright.it's okay." He reached up, and snapped on a white rubber glove.  
  
"Mr. Furlong, what are you doing?"  
  
"I wanna check its prostate.Actually, it's surface texture changed, so I wanna feel it." Rayne leaned down, and watched through the glass, and lifted her eyes, meeting Zeke's. Mr. Furlong reached down into the water, and touched it twice.and they watched as it suddenly divided.  
  
"It can replicate.Sheeze." Rayne stepped a few inches back, and stood straighter, and walked around to get a better look. She stopped over by Zeke, but didn't realize it. Mr. Furlong reached back down into the aquarium, and left his hand there, as he watched it carefully. Suddenly, it bit him. His hand shot out of the water, and blood started covering the index finger of the glove.  
  
"Ah, fuck! Oh, damnit." He looked around. "I'm okay."  
  
"It has teeth.where did it get teeth?" Casey asked.  
  
"I've gotta call the university." 


	2. Chapter II

Chapter 2  
  
Casey, Stan, Stokes, Rayne, and Delilah stood in the science room, around the aquarium that once held the unknown organism.  
  
"It all started yesterday, when I found this thing, this new species." Casey started.  
  
"Which is now missing," Stokes continued. Stan shrugged, as if saying, 'Yea, and your point is.?"  
  
"We think aliens are taking over our school," Rayne said,  
  
"Yea, right," he said.  
  
"You saw what Brummel did in the shower." Casey said.  
  
"We found a dead body in the closet." Delilah said.  
  
"They've been calling students into the office all day. Students with the most influence on us.including the new team captain," Stokes said, looking at Stan.  
  
"Looks like you picked the right week to quit football," Delilah said. Rayne nodded.  
  
"Gimme a freakin' break." Rayne dropped down, looking at the water, trying to find something, anything, that would let her know there weren't aliens in the building. They hung around in silence for a few minutes. When the others did start talking, she didn't pick up on it right away.  
  
"C'mon guys, a.this is nuts," Stan said.  
  
"Then leave, Stan, why are you hanging around? Go win a Pulitzer," Delilah said.  
  
"Back off, Delilah, I'm sick of your shit," he said.  
  
"Yea, then get the hell outta here and take your little freak dog with you," she said.  
  
"Fuck you, dirt bag," Stokes said. Rayne stood up.  
  
"Everybody stop it."  
  
"Okay, Casey, let's go with your alien theory here for a minute. Why here? Why Ohio?" Stan asked.  
  
"If you were going to take over the Earth, would you blow up the White House, Independence Day style, or sneak in through the back door?" Rayne asked, leaning over the aquarium. Suddenly, the door burst open, and Zeke slipped him, grabbing his stomach, with a scream. Mary Beth walked in behind him. Everyone jumped and turned to face him.  
  
"Casey.man the only person in this school who's an alien is you."  
  
"Zeke, don't." Rayne said.  
  
"What's going on here? Shouldn't you people be in class?" Mr. Furlong asked, appearing behind them, by the board, out of nowhere.  
  
"Well, it's like this, Mr. Furlong.Casey here thinks.you're an alien."  
  
"Hph.really." he said, walking to the door and pulling down the shade.  
  
"The whole faculty, actually," Stan said.  
  
"Is that true?" he asked. He turned around. "Casey?"  
  
"The thing I found yesterday.where is it?" Casey asked.  
  
"I sent it to the university," he replied, hands behind his back.  
  
"Do they know what it is?" Stokes asked. Mr. Furlong shrugged.  
  
"Look, sorry to impose and disrupt, Mr. Furlong, but." Furlong grabbed Zeke's arm, stopping him.  
  
"If you'll kindly take your seats this will be over quite quickly. Now sit down!" He shoved Zeke, knocking him over the table and onto the floor. Casey made a dash for the door, but Furlong grabbed him by the throat. Delilah made a run, too, but Furlong shoved her over the table, too. Zeke hopped up, and lifted the blade on the paper cutter. Slamming his foot on the board, he pulled until the blade broke off. He walked over to Furlong.  
  
"Let him down now, Furlong." he said, holding up the blade.  
  
"This is for the best, Zeke." He shoved Casey back into Stan, knocking them both to the ground. Furlong turned, and Zeke knocked his fingers off. They hit the floor.and they started to crawl away. Furlong knocked Zeke to the table, and hit the blade to the ground. Red ropes flew from where his fingers were, like the ones that came from the organism the day before. He held Zeke down with one hand, and raised the other, mangled one in the air. He opened his mouth, and a similar organism started crawling out. Zeke popped the lid off one of his scat pens, turned it, and jammed it into Furlong's eye. The organism dropped, and Furlong stumbled backwards. Zeke kicked Furlong into a wall, leapt up, and knocked the thing to the ground. The fingers crawled around, and the others scrambled to keep them off. The teacher slammed his hand into Zeke, knocking him over another table, this time sending him through the aquarium, shattering it and sending water everywhere. Rayne ran over to see if he was alright. Zeke pulled another pen from his pocket and pushed himself up, but froze, his eyes wide. Furlong started stumbling backwards, tripped and fell behind the table as some white, pussy substance started oozing from his eye.  
  
Stan ran around, and picked up the blade.  
  
"Zeke," he said. Zeke turned and caught it as Stan tossed it. Everyone slowly made there way over to the table. Furlong laid on the ground, surrounded by the white substance. The bell rang.  
  
"Geez."  
  
"This is usually the point where someone says lets get the fuck outta here," Rayne said.  
  
"Let's get the fuck outta here," Stan said. Rayne started over.  
  
"Aliens are taking over the fuckin' school.jeez.." Stan mumbled. Zeke looked up.  
  
"And I got proof," Casey said, tightening the lid on the jar holding an organism. Rayne dropped her eyes, and stopped when Stan stopped at the door.  
  
"Alright, everybody, here's the deal," he started, turning away from the window. "We're heading.*gulp*.straight for the parking lot. Pull it together, and mainly stay calm." Stan pulled open the door, and they headed out: Stan first, followed by Stokely, Casey, Delilah, Rayne, Mary Beth, and Zeke. As they walked through the halls, everyone turned and looked at them. The seven kids looked into a classroom on their right: every student wanting to answer the question, most of them being football players. Not usual in that building. They went through the front doors, down the steps, and started down the walk to the lot. They now stood in pairs: Stan and Rayne in front, Stokes and Casey behind them, Delilah and Mary Beth following, and Zeke bringing up the rear. Rayne's ears perked up when she heard a disembodied voice:  
  
"Stoke.ly." She turned her head, looking at Stokes, but kept walking. Her heart began to pound.she never thought this would happen.  
  
They walked up to Zeke's car.  
  
"Where're we goin?" Casey asked.  
  
"Anywhere but here," Rayne replied. Mary Beth, Casey, Delilah, and Stokes smashed into the backseat, while Zeke got in the driver's seat, and Rayne squeezed into the center. Stan looked over as the football team walked up.  
  
"Hey, Stan.where you going, buddy?"  
  
"Uh.we're going to."  
  
"Stan, get in the car."  
  
"Come on, Stan, hurry up, get in the car," Zeke said.  
  
"Sure you don't wanna play with us?" he asked.  
  
"No thanks, Gabe," Stan said, closing the door as he got in the car. Zeke pushed the gas, and they took off out of the parking lot. 


	3. Chapter III

Chapter 3  
  
They were driving down the roads, Zeke with a cigarette in his hand, and Rayne with her legs pulled beneath her.  
  
"What the hell is goin' on?" Stan asked.  
  
"Let's see if anyone's talking," he said, reaching down. He turned on the radio, flipping through the stations. Nothing but the fuzzy darkness Rayne hated hearing. She looked up.  
  
"Who the hell are these guys?" she asked. Zeke looked up at the police barricade.  
  
"Fuckin' shit," Zeke said, flicked his cigarette out the window, and skidded down the next road.  
  
He drove until he reached a white house, pulled far back into the driveway, and shut off the car. They all got out, following him inside.  
  
"Where's your mom and dad?" Casey asked as they walked into a small, lab- like room.  
  
"Europe.I think," Zeke replied.  
  
"Wow.this is some serious shit," Stan mumbled, looking at the beakers and dissection trays and test tubes, and other scientific things on the table. Mary Beth, while keeping her hand off the tube, ran it down the side. Then came upon the caffeine pills on the table.  
  
"Uh-hah.this is your big secret? Caffeine pills?" she asked in her southern drawl. Zeke took the towel he held, and tossed it over the boxes.  
  
"You didn't see that."  
  
"Now what do we do, the police not being an option?" Delilah asked.  
  
"I can call my dad, he'd know what to do." Stan said.  
  
"Is he even your dad anymore?" Casey asked. Stan shrugged. Then he laid his eyes on the gun. Casey looked down at it too, confused. Zeke looked up.  
  
"It's called a gun, man."  
  
Zeke started doing experimental work on the creature organism Casey brought. Rayne couldn't help but watch the adorable little white mouse in the cage beside Zeke.  
  
"What is it?" Casey asked.  
  
"We're gonna find out," Zeke said, picking up the organism with tiny tongs.  
  
"Hey, come here Oscar, come here buddy," Zeke said to the white mouse. He dropped it inside the cage. Oscar turned away from it, placing his little feet on the bars of the cage. Zeke took an eyedropper, got some water, and placed some on the creature. Oscar turned around, sniffing at it. Rayne jerked her head back when the little red rope things shot out and grabbed him, and they watched as it inserted itself into Oscar's ear. Zeke sighed, and Rayne raised her eyebrow.  
  
"Now what?" Casey asked. Zeke reached his hand inside the cage.  
  
"Sorry buddy." He snapped Oscar's neck, killing him. Rayne couldn't watch.  
  
Oscar lay on the dissection tray, pinned down, so his skin wouldn't cover his organs. Zeke took the tongs, and pried the creature from Oscar. He placed it under the microscope, and looked at it.  
  
"See, it's a parasite. It attaches itself to a host, and then it controls it." Zeke reached over and picked up a scalpel.  
  
"It's incomplete," he said, cutting it open.  
  
"What do you mean?" Stokes asked. Stan looked over at her.  
  
"It can survive on it's own but its really part of a greater organism. Look, it has the ability to replicate but it needs a host. Something moist. See what it did to Oscar's insides? Dried him out." he said, placing a napkin over Oscar.  
  
"Isn't a human body composed mainly of water?" Stan asked.  
  
"Their using us, drying us out," Stokes said.  
  
"Like Mrs. Brummel, right?"  
  
"I overheard the coach. Her body was too old, she didn't take," Casey said.  
  
"See, this partially explains what happens to Furlong.the drug's diuretic.it dries it out.kills it."  
  
"Their using us as hosts, turning us into mindless slaves they can control." Zeke looked at Stokely.  
  
"How do you know that?" he asked.  
  
"Hph, she doesn't. She's a tricky sci-fi freak." Delilah stated.  
  
"Who's been right so far," Rayne pointed out.  
  
"So how do we stop it?" Mary Beth asked.  
  
"Yea, Stokely. This is your area." Casey said.  
  
"Well, in theory, they're all connected.if we kill the master, we get 'em all."  
  
"In theory," Delilah pointed.  
  
"What happens to everybody else? The ones who get taken over, do they just die?" Stan asked, walking over.  
  
"No, no they don't, they would become human again.but that is in theory." she said.  
  
"So, if we found the leader, and killed it, we beat it." Casey said.  
  
"What the hell are we talking about, I say let's get the hell outta town," Delilah said.  
  
"And go where? Don't you see, if we don't stop it, it'll spread. It took the high school in a day and a half.give it a week, we'll never out run it," Rayne stated.  
  
"We have to fight," Casey said.  
  
"Fight what? We don't even know who's alien, and who's not. What if one of us was an alien right now, how would we know?" Stan asked.  
  
"He's right. I mean, how do I know your really Casey?"  
  
"How do I know your really you?"  
  
"In Body Snatchers the humans became emotionless. They completely lost their identities."  
  
"*Sigh* But the coach had emotion. I mean, he's usually a real hot head but he's different somehow.it was odd."  
  
"Like a star quarterback who mysteriously quits the team?" Delilah asked. Stan moved back across the room.  
  
"What're you doing, Delilah?"  
  
"I'm just pointing out your slightly odd behavior of the last couple of days."  
  
"I'm not an alien, I'm discontent." he said.  
  
"That's another big word for you." Rayne slammed her hands over her ears, unable to listen to them bickering. She lifted her eyes, and saw their lips move.  
  
"I'm incognito."  
  
"We just have to trust each other," Stokes said. Rayne dropped her hands to her knees, and sighed.  
  
"And I'm supposed to trust you? Tell me something, Ms. Lesbian, since when did you start liking boys?" Delilah asked.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I see the way you look at Stan." Rayne rolled her eyes.  
  
"She's not a lesbian, it was a hoax."  
  
"Really? And what about you, Ms. Atlanta.it's just convenient that you showed up the second these things started happening. What're you doing in Ohio anyway?"  
  
"It's not my fault."  
  
"Hey, shut up," Zeke said, standing up. Delilah turned and looked at him.  
  
"She's gotta point, Zeke," Casey said.  
  
"Yea, Zeke, professor. You seem to know an awful lot about this stuff.I mean, no offense, but your not exactly known for your academic achievements."  
  
"Neither are you, man." he replied. Rayne couldn't take it.  
  
"Casey, when did you become Sigourney Weaver?" Delilah asked. Rayne stood up.  
  
"Stop it, this is getting us no where," she said. They looked at her, and she dropped back onto the couch.  
  
Zeke reached over, and picked up a tray full of Scat pens.  
  
"Gotta solution.We know this outs them, right? Take a hit."  
  
"No way, man. I don't do drugs." Stan said, sitting beside Rayne.  
  
"Unless you're an alien you got nothing to worry about," she said, lifting her eyes and looking at him.  
  
"She's right," Casey said, walking over. "This is the only way to know for sure."  
  
"Yea, come on, man.Look, we all do it. Casey," he said, holding out a pen.  
  
"Wait, why me first?"  
  
"It was your birthright, man, just take it." Casey hesitated, so Rayne stood up.  
  
"Gimme the damn pen," she said. Zeke nodded.  
  
"That's the spirit." She plucked off the cap, pushed in one side of her nose, placed the pen up to the other, and snorted a little bit. Then she handed it back to Zeke, and slid down to the ground.  
  
"You alright?" She nodded. He handed it to Casey, who snorted down most of the rest.  
  
"Easy, boy." Rayne, her hearing getting fuzzy, quit listening, but started to laugh with Casey. Stan grabbed a gun and pointed at them  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you two?"  
  
"There's nothing wrong man, they're tweakin', let 'em freakin' tweak!" Zeke exclaimed. Rayne started laughing again. She realized that her hearing was coming back around when only Delilah and Mary Beth remained. He held out a pen to Delilah.  
  
"No.her first."  
  
"I'm allergic," MB said.  
  
"Yea, and I'm Portuguese.who cares.." Delilah said.  
  
"You both take it." Zeke held out two pens to each girl. MB pushed it down.  
  
"Zeke, you know I can't," she stated. He held it back out.  
  
"You have to take it." he said. She and Delilah took the pens, and held them up to their noses. MB snorted at the same time as Delilah, but Delilah dropped the pen and turned, her arms covering her face, her glasses hitting the floor, and her head hitting the shelf behind her. Stan suddenly quit laughing.  
  
"Del?" he asked, standing up. He walked over, and grabbed her arm. She spun around, and looked at him: something was crawling under her skin. She stood up and shoved him away, over the couch and onto the floor. Zeke spun to grab the gun.it was gone. He lifted his eyes to see Casey pointing it at him.  
  
"Shoot her.shoot her in the head, Casey." Casey turned, aiming the gun at Delilah. She held up her hands.  
  
"Stan.I don't know what's happening."  
  
"Shoot her, Casey, she's really one of them man," Zeke said.  
  
"There's no where to go, we're everywhere." Casey couldn't pull the trigger.  
  
"I'll fuckin' shoot her," Stokes said, grabbing the gun. She began pulling the trigger, missing Delilah every time. Delilah swung over, knocking everything off the table, and breaking it, and ran out the door. They followed, Stokes still firing. Delilah ran to a car, the school's Driver's Ed car, hopped in, and took off. 


	4. Chapter IV

Chapter 4  
  
They pulled up at the high school, and let Stokes and Stan out. Zeke drove into the parking lot, stopped, and they got out, running into the school. Making sure no one was around to see them, they snuck inside, sitting around the gym. Mary Beth, Casey, and Zeke went to bleachers, MB and Casey sitting down, while Rayne dropped against the wall, slid down, and sat on the floor, her head against her knees, thinking. Zeke jogged down, and looked at her.  
  
"You alright?" he asked. She waved him off with a nod. "You sure?" he asked, dropping down beside her.  
  
"I'm fine, leave me alone."  
  
"Then why are you clutching the back of your head?"  
  
"Have you actually ever mixed running, laughing, nervousness, and scat? It can give quite a headache.and right now, my head is pounding like a mother fucker.it'll go away in a few minutes.Really, I'm fine." He started to get up.  
  
"Zeke?" she asked.  
  
"What?" She stopped.  
  
"Nevermind." He nodded, and jogged into the bleachers.  
  
Stokes and Stan walked in, and Rayne started standing up.  
  
"Where were you guys?"  
  
"We found Drake, she's at the game." Stokes said.  
  
"What're you kids doing in here? The gym is closed." Drake said, walking in. "All of you, come with me."  
  
"We can't do that, Ms. Drake." Casey said. Rayne motioned Stan over. He walked over, and she handed him the volleyball net.  
  
"Oh, really? And why is that?" she asked. Stan jumped on her, and Zeke helped tie her up in the net.  
  
"Quick, Zeke, Rayne, get the doors!" Stan exclaimed. The two ran off, grabbing folding chairs, and jamming them into the doors, keeping them closed. They went, doing it to all the doors. When they walked back in, Stan was trying to get Casey to stab Drake. Zeke ran over, took the gun, and shot her, knocking her to the ground.  
  
"What if she's alive?" MB asked.  
  
"Stab her to find out," Stokes said, nudging Casey. He walked over, and saw the pool of blood circling her head.  
  
"Guys, I think we made a mistake.I think she's really dead." he said, turning back to face the others. Drake stood up. They leapt back. Her eyes rolled up into her head, and worm-like creatures started crawling from the hole in her head. MB stepped up and threw the scat on her.  
  
They walked into the hall, to see if it worked. Stan looked out the window, and nodded to Casey.  
  
"I'll need some scat," he said. Zeke handed him a pen. Stan started out the door, but Stokes pulled him back, kissing him. When they pulled apart, she smiled.  
  
"I just don't wanna never have done that," she said. He pushed out the door, and ran through the rain to the football field. Casey was smiling.  
  
"What're you looking at?" Stokes asked. Zeke had his knuckles against his mouth, trying not to laugh.  
  
Rayne stood at the door on the end, watching the field, her head against the glass.  
  
"Any sign of him?" Casey asked, walking from the gym.  
  
"I can't tell. You can barely see anything," Stokes said, shrugging. Suddenly, Stan popped up outta nowhere, like he just appeared beneath the door and stood up. Stokes, Casey, Zeke, and MB jumped back, but Rayne walked over, standing beside Zeke. He held the gun tightly in his fingers.  
  
"Please, Stokely, open the door." She grabbed the chair.  
  
"No, Stokely, we don't know if it's him." Casey said.  
  
"It's me. Listen, it wasn't Drake, it's the coach, and he's right after me.Open the door."  
  
"Don't do it, Stokes. Prove it, Stan, where's the drug?" Zeke asked.  
  
"I lost, okay, the coach was too fast for me! Please, Stokely, don't leave me out here," he said, looking at her. Zeke held up the pen.  
  
"Last one, man." Casey took it and slid it under the door.  
  
"There, try it." Stan bent down and picked it up.  
  
"Okay, I'll do it, just.lemme do it inside!" he exclaimed. Zeke stepped up with the gun.  
  
"No, you do it right now, man." Stan unscrewed the top, and pushed one side of his nose closed. He looked at them. Rayne took a step closer. Stan placed the pen up to his nose and breathed.but Rayne noticed something. The scat wasn't moving. Stan lifted his eyes, an evil look residing there, and lifted his head, turning the pen upside down, dumping the contents. Zeke stood wide-eyed. Rayne didn't do anything.  
  
"Fuck!" Zeke cried. She looked at him, then turned back to see Stan. He dropped the casing.  
  
"Open the door. It is so much better here. There's no fear, no pain.It's beautiful. And you will be beautiful. You'll be beautiful. No problems or worries. We want you. I want you. I want you. Now open the freakin' door!" he said, slamming his forehead into the window.  
  
"Go away Stan!" Casey called. He took Stokes by the shoulders and pulled her from the window. Zeke pointed the gun as Stan slammed his hands against the door. "It's too late, Stokely, we've already won!"  
  
"No pain, Stan? Why don't you come in here and I'll show you some freakin' pain!" he cried, slamming the gun against the window. Rayne stopped, looking at him. She hoped he was alright. Stan turned and jogged back off to the field. They turned and went back into the gym, Zeke behind them all.  
  
Casey paced the floor. Mary Beth and Stokely sat near each other on his left, while Rayne sat beside Zeke on his right.  
  
"I say we go for the coach. He turned Stan, he's the one." He sat down. "Would you rather wait for them to come to us?" he asked.  
  
"Either way, we're completely unarmed," MB stated.  
  
"Maybe not," Zeke said. "I may have some more scat."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"In my trunk," he said, looking over at them.  
  
"In your trunk. In your car. Amongst the aliens, oh, that's convenient." Zeke held up his keys.  
  
"You have a better idea?"  
  
Zeke, Casey, and Rayne slipped outside, and jogged towards the bus lot. They turned around one bus.and saw the football team walking their way. They scrambled over and slid under a bus. They waited only a few seconds, and they scraped across the pavement underneath the next bus. They looked around.  
  
"Does it really take three of us to get to your car?" Casey asked. Zeke looked over, and saw his car.  
  
"Nope." He looked over at them. "Two of us are decoys." Rayne and Casey looked at each other.  
  
"Here's the plan," she stated.  
  
"Plan?"  
  
"Short and simple, trust me. Whichever one of us gets their attention, we run in the opposite direction of Zeke. If it means leading them to the school, then locking the doors, then so be it. We lead them from Zeke, and if one of us is free, without any freaky alien followers, we've the choice to come back here, and help him out if he needs it," she said. Casey nodded, and they looked out.  
  
"Casey, you go that way. I'll go this way. Zeke, your car. On the count of three." They all looked at each other.  
  
"One," Zeke said.  
  
"Two," Casey muttered. Rayne took a breath.  
  
"Three!" She and Casey slipped out from under the bus, going in two separate directions. He got the aliens, and ran up onto the bus. She watched them go passed Casey's bus, and the turn and circle it, knowing he was there. Rayne sat beneath a different bus, avoiding alien Delilah as she boarded his bus. She watched a player slam his head through a window, and saw Casey pull himself to the top of the bus, and as he did so, she did the same: scaled up the side of the bus. He saw her, and she motioned to the building, signaling him to run that way, taking the aliens with. He did so. Rayne turned, making sure no aliens were left nearby. She jumped down, but still snaked beneath the buses, watching her back. 


	5. Chapter V

Chapter 5  
  
Rayne's feet splashed in the water left on the pavement as she ran for Zeke. She stopped, seeing him swerving all over the lot. She watched him slam straight into a bus, and fire burst from the engines as someone went flying through the windshield.  
  
"Zeke!" she cried, and ran over quicker. The passenger door kicked open, and in a matter of seconds, Zeke was sliding out onto the pavement on his back. Rayne slid down beside him.  
  
"You alright?" she asked. He nodded and looked over. Ms. Burke's (the windshield flyer) head had tentacle-type things slithering it across the lot, and Zeke scrambled to stand. He pulled the gun from his jeans and held it up.then saw her body, feeling around for her head.  
  
"Alright, forget this, I'm outta here," he said. Rayne grabbed his arm.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Gimme a pen," she said, a serious, deadly look in her eye.  
  
"Rayne?"  
  
"Gimme a goddamn pen, Zeke!" she exclaimed. He handed her one, and she stepped up to the front of the car. Holding the pen like a dart, she aimed with one eye closed, and threw it.and it went straight into her eye, killing her.  
  
"Alright, now let's go." The two of them went running, quicker than Rayne had ever run before, into the building, to see how the others were doing.  
  
They arrived, pulling open the door.  
  
"Okay, I'm going to go find them.Gosh, I hope that they're alright." Rayne said, and took off running, her feet thumping against the gym floor as she went across, and into the boys locker room. She saw Casey against a locker, as though he were hiding. She squatted beside him.  
  
"You okay?" she whispered. He placed a finger to his lips, and looked over.  
  
"Where's Zeke?"  
  
"Coming in the other way.what's wrong?"  
  
"The alien.it's."  
  
"Mary Beth, right?"  
  
"How'd you guess?"  
  
"I'll explain later.look!" she hissed. He leaned around the corner, too, and saw Zeke walk in.  
  
"Hello?" he asked.  
  
"Zeke.I'm over here," Stokes said, standing and walking over.  
  
"Watch out, it's her," MB's voice said. Zeke turned, and saw her hiding behind a concrete wall jut-out.  
  
"Zeke, don't believe her, it's her.."  
  
"She attacked me, please, Zeke," MB said. He looked back and forth.  
  
"What's goin' on here, Mary Beth?" he asked.  
  
"Please, it is her," Stokes said.  
  
"She's lying, she's trying to fake you out.We don't know what she is, gay, straight, alien." Mary Beth stepped out from behind the jut-out. Zeke stopped, and Casey and Rayne stood up.  
  
"Answer me something, Mary Beth.why are you naked?" She looked down.  
  
"Does it bother you Zeke? My body? I'm getting kinda used to it myself," she said.  
  
"I saw you take the test," he stated.  
  
"Zeke.how the hell can you be sure what you saw? It was sweet of you to bond with me, to be nice to me." Zeke pulled a pen from his pocket. "Will it work again, Baby? Do you like what you see?" she asked. Zeke raised the pen, to stab her, but Stokes gripped his wrist.  
  
'Zeke." He looked at her, and the alien tentacle things started from her throat. Casey jumped out, grabbing her by the waist. He pulled her back, throwing her into the caged area holding the football equipment.  
  
Zeke walked up, holding a pen out to Casey.  
  
"Here, take this."  
  
"Now Mary Beth," he said, turning to walk away. Zeke slammed his against the locker.  
  
"You sniff it."  
  
"Your outta your fucking mind," Casey said. Rayne turned around.  
  
"I'm not taking any chances. I leave for five minutes, I come back, everyone's a fuckin' alien. Now either I'm gonna Men in Black you, Ace, or your gonna freakin' sniff it." Zeke said. Casey snorted some, staring at the ceiling. Proving Rayne's humanity, she was forced to sniff it, too.  
  
"There, happy now?" Casey asked, as the shadows of MB's tentacles loomed over them. They started running the other way, across the aisle between the lockers. Casey and Rayne stopped, but Zeke turned the corner.  
  
"Jeepers, I think I'm seeing two of everything..Zeke?" he asked. Rayne looked up.  
  
"Zeke, where are you?" she whispered. They looked up, and he came flying over the lockers, slamming into the next set. They ran around.  
  
"Zeke?"  
  
"Come on, buddy, get up," Casey said, shaking him. He didn't budge. Casey and Rayne saw the shadows, and while Casey ran off, Rayne folded herself into a locker at Zeke's feet. She wasn't about to be discovered. Luckily for her, alien Stokes didn't see her. She heard something hit the cage, and Casey yelp.  
  
"He's over here! And she's disappeared!" Stokes called out. Rayne held her breath, watching the wall through the slits. Knowing something was gonna happen, Rayne pushed from the locker, and slid down beside Zeke.  
  
"Wake up, Zeke.please," she whispered.  
  
He still didn't move. Casey snuck over. She picked up two of his three pens, and handed them to Casey. He pointed to the other one.she pointed to herself, then the walls, indicating it was incase she needed it. Nodding, he patted Zeke's shoulder, thanking him. Rayne stood up, and snuck to the doorway of the locker room. Her headache began to come back, and the hearing loss, too. This time, she didn't start laughing.out loud, any ways. In her head, it was making everything worse. After a minute, she heard crashing sounds coming from the locker room, and Casey came running, hitting the wall. Rayne had run back in, and hid in the shadows of the concrete jut-out. The alien, the master alien, crawled out, and entered the gym. Rayne waited until she was gone, and ran back to Zeke, to check on him. He was still unconscious. Hesitantly, she leaned down, and kissed his forehead.  
  
"You'll be alright, I promise. Everything will be just fine." She got up and ran into the gym to find the bleachers closing, and a hissing growl coming from the other end. She raced over, and saw half the monster sticking out from behind them, and Casey against the wall. The monster was still, gray, and, a thought that she knew was true, dead. Casey was on the floor. She ran over.  
  
"You wouldn't have like it here, anyway," he said. She kneeled down.  
  
"Casey? Are you alright?" she asked. He sighed, and looked at her. She hugged him.  
  
"Come on, let's go check on them." She pulled him to his feet, and they ran back into the locker room. Rayne, almost to the cage, dropped to her knees and crawled the rest of the way. Her headache was too much for her. He woke up Stokely.  
  
"Stokes? Stokely.?"  
  
"Are you.you?" he asked her.  
  
"I think so.god I hope so.," she said. He smiled, and hugged her. Rayne smiled, her forehead against the cage. Suddenly, something slammed against it. She jumped, and turned. Zeke gripped the wires, and looked inside.  
  
"Zeke! Jeez."  
  
"Is it over?"  
  
"Yea." He started laughing, and let go of the cage. Rayne took off her over shirt, and started wiping the blood off the side of his face, from when he crashed his car. 


	6. Chapter VI

Chapter 6  
  
Zeke walked back a bit, in his football uniform, taking off his helmet and out his mouthpiece. He looked up, and saw Rayne in the stands, watching. Technically, she was his ride, so she decided to stay and do her homework and watch the game until he was done. She waved to him, and he smiled, placing the cigarette in his mouth. "Zeke, get back in there! And put that butt out!" the coach called. She laughed, and looked over to see Stokely and Stan, kissing behind the fence.  
  
Rayne jogged off the stands, and into the parking lot to toss her bag into her jeep. Zeke snuck up behind her.  
  
"Hey, Rayne." She leapt up, and turned around.  
  
"Don't you ever do that again. You ready?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Get in." He got in the passenger side, and she got in, closing her door and clicking on her seatbelt. She slid the Live CD into the discman she'd attached to her car, and pulled out.  
  
"Lemme ask you something," he asked.  
  
"Shoot."  
  
"That necklace.what's so special about it?" he asked. She looked up.  
  
"It's all I have left of my aunt.my only real family."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"My parents sent me to live with her when I was ten for being to much to handle.I was ten! How hard could I have been on them? But, they sent me anyway, and when she died about a year and a half ago, she left me everything she had. She said I was the only one who was really ever that nice to her, who ever really seemed to love her. I knew what she meant: she was the same to me. Well, she gave me this for my sixteenth birthday, and when I accidentally broke it and messed up the paint, she personally painted it back to silver.it's the last thing she gave me that meant something this big."  
  
"Why did it mean so much to you?"  
  
"Well, because I have some Celtic blood in my veins, and this was a Celtic cross.I cherish it because it's my history." He nodded, and they drove in silence (except for the CD) for a few minutes. Finally, Zeke looked over at her.  
  
"Rayne?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"What is it you were going to ask me that night, when we killed the aliens?" he asked.  
  
"When?"  
  
"When you had a headache.you called me back, like you wanted to ask me something, but let it go.what was it?" he asked. She sighed.  
  
"I wanted to know why you came to see if I was alright.you've never done that before."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Do you remember when I would have the freak outs during class? Right in the middle of anything, I'd just lose it, and someone would have to take me to the nurse to get taken care of?"  
  
"Yea."  
  
"You never did anything for me, even when I hit the ground, right there at your feet. You never moved."  
  
"I didn't know what was going on.I mean, come on, if Stokes, or Casey, or Stan, or I had done that, would you have helped?" She shrugged.  
  
"Good point.but, hey, I wouldn't have left you guys on the floor. I would've at least elevated your head, or something," she stated, smiling. They pulled to a stop at the train tracks, and she changed the CD to the "Anastasia" soundtrack. Zeke listened to CD, and noticed that there were two voices for the same song, usually sung solo. Lifting his eyes, he realized that it was coming from Rayne.  
  
"And a song someone sings.Once upon a December." She stopped and looked over at him, and her cheeks turned a light pink. "Sorry.here we go," she stated, pulling up in his driveway.  
  
"Thanks, Rayne." He got out of the car, but before he closed the door, he turned back.  
  
"Your good," he stated, and jogged up the drive. She smiled.  
  
Rayne pulled up at her house, and jogged up inside, past the painters working on the higher boards of the house. She walked into the kitchen, and opened the fridge, pulling out a bottle of Coke. The phone rang. She reached over and picked it up.  
  
"Hello?" she asked.  
  
"Hey, Rayne. Listen, do you remember when we killed the alien?"  
  
"Yea."  
  
"You knew it was Mary Beth before I could tell you, and you said you'd tell me how you knew later on. Were you planning on telling me sometime in this millennium?" he asked. She laughed.  
  
"Yea.listen, you can call up Stan, and Stokes, and Zeke, and Delilah, and meet me at the skating rink in.one hour, okay?"  
  
"An hour?"  
  
"That's how long it takes for me to get there, especially when I have to change, and let the painters know they can stop for the day."  
  
"Okay. One hour," he said, and they hung up. Rayne sighed, and set the phone on the hook, then jogged up the steps. She ruffled through her dresser, and pulled out a different shirt. Sliding it on, she jogged downstairs, and picked up her shoulder bag and keys, then headed outside, shutting the door and locking it. She looked around, and whistled. Loud. The painters looked at her.  
  
"You guys can go home for the day! You can come back in the morning!" she called. They waved and got down. She got in her car, and took off for the ice rink.  
  
She pulled up, and got out of the car, taking her bag with her. Walking inside, she looked around for the faces of her friends: they hadn't arrived yet. Rayne walked over to the counter, and ordered a soda. Paying, she walked to a table, and sat, to wait for her friends. After only a few minutes, they walked in and sat around her at the table.  
  
"Okay, so what's going on?" Zeke asked. Rayne looked up.  
  
"Rayne knew the alien was Mary Beth, but she didn't see her change first."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I knew who the alien was before anybody could tell me, and I didn't see her change in the gym because I was outside with you," Rayne said. Zeke nodded.  
  
"So? How'd you know?"  
  
"When we were at your house, and I was all drugged up, I watched Mary Beth take her drug.but she had something. A slide of skin or something that closed over her nostril, keeping the drug in the pen. When she threw her head forward, her hair flew over her face, but I saw the drug fall to the floor, like she unscrewed the bottom."  
  
"Why the hell didn't you tell us then?" Zeke asked.  
  
"Like you would've believed me, Zeke. You had the hots for her, and I wasn't about to get snapped at because I thought she was the alien, and you didn't like the fact that I'd said it." She dropped her eyes to the table, and avoiding his looks. She sighed.  
  
"Listen, I need my exercise, and I haven't skated in a little while, so if you wanna join me, go ahead," she said, got up, and went to the counter to get skates. 


	7. Chapter VII

Chapter 7  
  
Rayne lay on her couch, staring blankly at her ceiling, when the phone rang. Without moving her eyes, she lifted the phone from the table beside her and placed it against her ear.  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"Rayne?"  
  
"Yea?"  
  
"It's Zeke. Listen, is your car working?"  
  
"Last time I checked, yea, why?"  
  
"Are you going to the dance tonight?" he asked. She thought.  
  
"Yep. Why?"  
  
"Could you pick me up? My battery ain't working." She smiled.  
  
"Sure, Zeke. I'll be there in an hour," she said. They hung up, and she jogged up the steps, to take a shower.  
  
Rayne shut off the water, and got out, wrapping a towel around herself. She felt strange, everything being okay again. Everyone being normal. She shrugged it off, and got dressed.  
  
She pulled up in the school lot, and saw news vans surrounding the other cars. Her and Zeke got out, looking at each other. One reporter saw her.  
  
"Rayne! Rayne, can we have a word with you?!" she called out.  
  
"Oh no.not these guys again." Zeke took her hand, and they ran into the building, away from everyone. There were more reporters in the building.and they were all chicks. The reporters and the cameramen.women. All of them. Rayne looked around.  
  
"There's no way to get rid of them!" she hissed. Zeke gripped her elbow with his fingers and pulled her into the boys bathroom, locking the door behind them. She looked around.  
  
"Zeke, I can't be in here! It's the guys bathroom."  
  
"Oh, you've been in here before, remember? You helped the janitor last summer."  
  
"Yea, I walked in and walked out.I didn't come in here to escape anybody." There was a knock on the door.  
  
"Rayne, we know you're in there! Let us in! We only want a few words with you!" the reporter's called. She dropped to the floor, tempted to break down and cry.  
  
"I hate reporters. They've been bothering me since my aunt died." She stood up again, and walked into the attached locker room. Rayne peeked out the window.  
  
"Well, at least they aren't around the windows.maybe I could sneak out and just leave."  
  
"And go where?"  
  
"Anywhere but here!" she exclaimed. She had just pulled herself up onto the lockers when Zeke pulled her back down.  
  
"Zeke, what are you doing?" He didn't answer, but he did kiss her. Her eyes widened, confused, but kissed him back for the mere second before he pulled away. Her eyes shot up to his.  
  
"What the hell was that?"  
  
"Something to shut you up," he said. She closed her eyes, and thought long and hard about what to do. Finally, they opened again, and she found him staring at her. Her hand slammed into his chest, and she shoved him away.  
  
"Where are you going?" he asked. She stopped, and turned her head.  
  
"To face my fear, and tell the reporters to stick it where the sun don't shine." Her heels clicked on the tile as she unlocked the door and walked out. All the reporters ran over.  
  
"Rayne! Rayne, a few words?" they asked. She shoved through them all, and stopped.  
  
"You know, nothing's changed. It's people like you that make me wish everything were normal. But normal is vastly overrated. And you know something else?" They stopped.  
  
"I hated reporters when my aunt died, and I still hate them today, so you can ask me anything you like, doll, but I wouldn't answer you if I had a gun pointed at my head and a knife at my throat, do you understand me?" she asked. They looked away, and left, grumbling about losing their story on her. Rayne continued into the gym, and walked up onto the bleachers, where she sat with Casey.  
  
"Hey, Case."  
  
"Hey, Ray. Reporters still bothering you?"  
  
"Nope. Told them that I've hated reporters for years, and I wouldn't answer their questions if my life depended on it. What about you? How's life treating you now?" He shrugged.  
  
"Can't complain. I mean, sure, I've had my share of reporter problems, but.what is Zeke doing?"  
  
"Probably looking for me," she muttered, and looked up. He was looking around the gym, as though he was trying to find someone. Then he saw her up in the corner with Casey.  
  
"Damn it." she muttered.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"Zeke's looking for me. Listen, I'm gonna go, alright? I'll see you on Monday," she said, hugged him, and jogged down the bleachers.  
  
"Rayne!" Zeke called.  
  
"Leave me alone, Zeke," she said, and walked out of the school without another word. He watched her get into her car, and drive off, leaving him there.  
  
Rayne sat on her couch, listening to the Matchbox 20 CD, "Yourself or Someone Like You," waiting. For what, though, she didn't know. She was just waiting for something to happen. Finally, she stood up, and went to her computer, where she was going to email a bunch of colleges and get information on scholarships and things. The year was almost over, and it seemed as though she might pass this year. Then the doorbell rang, and she jogged downstairs, hoping it wasn't Zeke. She pressed her eye against the peep hole, and, low and behold, it was him. She dropped her forehead against the door.  
  
"Go away, Zeke!" she called.  
  
"I gotta talk to you!" he called back.  
  
"What makes you think I want to talk to you after what you've done?"  
  
"I know you're mad at me, and I understand that! But I gotta talk to you!" She sighed, shaking her head.  
  
"No, Zeke! Go away!"  
  
"I'm not going to go away unless you let me in!" he called back.  
  
"Then you'll be standing there for a while," she said, pulling away from the door.  
  
"Please? Just let me talk to you for five minutes, and I'll leave you alone, I promise." She sighed, and opened the door. He stood out there in tattered jeans and a white long sleeve shirt under a black Tee. Shaking her head, she let him in, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Five minutes. What do you want?" she asked. He took her into the living room, and sat her on the couch. He sat on the table.  
  
"You never told me how your aunt died." She threw her hands in the air.  
  
"Is that what you wanted to talk about?!" she cried. He grabbed her hands and pulled them back down.  
  
"Chill.You'll understand in a minute.now, how did she die?" he asked. Rayne sighed, and looked up.  
  
"Well.It was about.nearly two years ago, I guess.Okay. I was helping her paint the kitchen, and the smell of the paint was beginning to get to her, so she put her brush in the sink and closed the can. I rinsed the brushes and followed her outside. She told me she was going for a ride to the store, to pick up some smelly spray, to take away from the paint." Rayne stood up, and walked over to the mantle. Zeke turned around. "I hadn't even gotten back inside the house when I heard the wheels screaming. I started running down the street, barefoot, after the car. It hit a tree, and started on fire. She was trapped in the car. I grabbed the door, and tried to pull it open, but it just wouldn't budge, so I smashed it open with a rock.She was about to come out through the window, but pulled back inside. Her jeans were caught in the spring under the seat, and she tried to get it undone. The firemen were arriving, and hooking up the hoses.and she told me to get away from the car. I started to reach in to get her.and it exploded." She stopped for a second to take a breath, and sniffle. Zeke leaned forward. "By the time the fire was put out, she was dead.They took me and the body to the crematory and I got her cremated, and put in this box.Everything she had was left to me, including this house. I only get it for about five or six months after I graduate. After that, I get to sell it to the person of my choice." Zeke stood up and walked over to her. She turned to face him, and he held her. "So..what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked, looking up. He stepped back, and looked down at her.  
  
"Everything was left to you, right?" he asked. She nodded. "And you really loved her, right?"  
  
"Of course.now what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"  
  
"I came to see just how much you loved your Aunt.and to tell you that you should take better care of these," he said, handing her a silver banded ring with an ice-blue stone, and her Celtic necklace. She smiled.  
  
"Thank you.." Looking at the clock, she walked to the door. "It's been five minutes," she said. He nodded.  
  
"Goodnight, Rayne," he said, and walked from the room. She sat, still, for a minute, staring at the necklace and the ring, before jamming the necklace into her pocket, the ring on her finger, and running out after him.  
  
"Zeke! Wait up!" she called, leaving the door open, and jogging down the sidewalk.  
  
"What?" he asked, turning around. She stopped in front of him.  
  
"Why did you come all the way over here to give me these when you would see me tomorrow?" He shrugged.  
  
"Cuz I felt like it." She raised an eyebrow. "Fine. I thought it was a bit better than calling and telling you to come get it. That's why. Happy?" She smiled, and nodded.  
  
"Very." He nodded.  
  
"Can I go now?" She sighed.  
  
"Sure. See you on Monday." As he walked off, she headed back inside, closing and locking the door behind her. 


	8. Chapter VIII

Chapter 8  
  
Rayne knew that, when Monday came, she'd be stuck hanging out with Casey and Delilah again, and acting as though she didn't even care about what happened to Zeke, since most of the time, he acted as though he didn't care much about her.  
  
She slammed on her brakes, snapping herself out of some daydream she hadn't realized she'd slipped into, and swung the steering wheel, narrowly missing Stokely and Stan, and coming to a stop at Zeke's bumper. She didn't move- she stayed where she was, trying to calm herself down, trying to figure out what had happened, what she'd been thinking. The door swung open, and she turned her head, finding herself looking at Stan.  
  
"Are you alright?" he exclaimed. She hesitantly nodded, and, leaving the car exactly how it was, undid her seatbelt and climbed out, falling to her knees. Stokely climbed it, and moved the car into the parking spot beside Zeke's car, turning it off and handing the keys and the backpack to Rayne.  
  
"What happened?" Stokely asked.  
  
"I.don't know. Must've have fallen into some sort of daydream." She looked up at her friends. "Are you guys alright, did I hurt you?"  
  
"No, no, we're fine. Nothing's wrong with us. I'm just sort of worried about you," Stan said. She pushed herself up, but stumbled, falling back. He helped her stand, pulling her arm over his shoulder, and helping her into the building. She felt a sharp pain shoot thru her foot as she put pressure on it. Stan took her into the office, and sat her down, then turned to the secretary. As he talked to her, Zeke stumbled in, being pushed by a teacher.  
  
"Alrighty, smart ass, just sit here, I'll get back to you on that detention." Rayne looked at Zeke as he sat down.  
  
"What did you do before classes even started?" she asked. He looked up.  
  
"Got caught smoking in the bathroom. You?"  
  
"Had a bit of a blackout when I was trying to pull in." Stan turned around.  
  
"How's your ankle?" She stood, and stumbled, but caught herself.  
  
"It's sore, but I can walk on it, I believe." He nodded.  
  
"Well, why don't you just stay in here for first period, then, Rayne? We can get you an icepack for that ankle," the secretary said. Rayne dropped back into her chair.  
  
"Thank you." She looked over at Zeke, raised her hand, and smacked him in the back of the head as the secretary turned away.  
  
"What?" he exclaimed.  
  
"You should know better by now not to smoke in school when people can catch you." Zeke shook his head, rubbing the back of it.  
  
"Yeah, well.go to hell." The principal stepped out, and motioned for Zeke to enter his office as the secretary handed Rayne her ice.  
  
Rayne climbed out of her car that afternoon, and inside the house, pushing the door shut behind her. As she sorted thru the mail, the phone began to ring. Heading over, she lifted it up.  
  
"Yeah?" she asked.  
  
"Rayne?" She smiled, and tossed all but one envelope onto the counter in the kitchen, dropping her bag to the floor.  
  
"Hey, Case. What's up?"  
  
"Nothing much. What're you doing?"  
  
"Checkin the mail."  
  
"Anything good?" She laughed.  
  
"Just a letter from a college."  
  
"What's it say?" he asked. She began to laugh again.  
  
"Why the sudden interest in what's in my mail?" she asked. Casey laughed on the other end of the line.  
  
"I was only wondering. Besides, I got a college letter too."  
  
"You in?"  
  
"Yep." She remembered the day they'd applied to college. Stan, Stokely, Casey, Delilah, Rayne, and, surprisingly, Zeke, had all applied to the same college. So far, everyone but Zeke, Delilah, and Rayne had received letters back from the college. "And, Delilah called me a bit earlier. She got in, too."  
  
"Great," she said, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. Casey didn't notice.  
  
"So? Are you in?" Rayne tore open the envelope, and dropped it as she snapped open the letter. Her eyes ran over the paper, and widened, crying out. "Ray? What is it?"  
  
"Oh my God! I'm in!" she cried, jumping up and down. She began to laugh, and so did Casey.  
  
"Congrats, Ray! Hey, this means we all get to meet up again after school!" he exclaimed, laughing.  
  
"Yeah.well, almost. Zeke hasn't gotten a letter yet." Casey paused.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Well, he never said anything."  
  
"He told Stan he got a letter." Rayne dropped her letter to the counter, and pulled open the fridge, suddenly upset.  
  
"Hmph. Of course he wouldn't tell me. It's like he hates me." she muttered.  
  
"He." Casey paused, and Rayne stood up, looking at her fridge.  
  
"Casey?"  
  
"Oh, sorry. Listen, Rayne, I'll talk to you tomorrow, kay? I have to go. Delilah and I are going out." She smiled.  
  
"Have fun, Case."  
  
"Thanks. Later."  
  
"Bye."Rayne turned the phone off, and set it down on the counter, and walked to the calendar against the wall. She flipped a couple months ahead, and sighed. "Five months.and we start school again.together." She marked down the date she was to start college, and let go of the pages in her hand, watching the fall back against the wall. She smiled to herself, and leaned against the wall. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she sighed, happy. She was going to college. She was going to be with her friends. But most of all, she was going to move on from all of this alien shit. It was over. And that was good enough for her.  
  
The End  
  
((don't worry, there WILL be more!)) 


End file.
